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PoliticsTurkey

How is Turkey expanding its sphere of influence?

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Grzegorz Szymanowski | Loveday Wright | Marie Joslyn | Serdar Vardar
August 25, 2025

Turkey is maintaining links with Western allies while forging ties with other regional powers. How is the country balancing cooperation and competition to grow its global status?

Turkey is redefining its global role—leveraging geography, military strength, and diplomacy to expand its influence across Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. As a NATO member pursuing “strategic autonomy,” it balances ties with the West while engaging powers like Russia and China. From training Somali troops to shaping post-Assad Syria, Turkey positions itself as a rising middle power navigating a shifting geopolitical landscape.

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